Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-01-20
THE TEACHERS INSTITUTE
THE DELAWARBANs PRAISED ny
DIR. FREHoH.
The FiFSs Institute Held la New
York state AZ Years a 90 DIR. sronch
Approves tbe Project OF a Norman
school.

school.
The twelfth annual session of the New
Castle County Teachers Institute con.
vened ct the Opera House yesterday week
at 4.30 O'Clock.
The official programme for the after.
noon called for pothing more than enroll
ment OF members Of the institute and In.
troductory speeches by the leaders and
instructors. Among the latter are DR..
John II. French Of Rochester, N. Y, DR..
A. N. Raub, Newark, both of whom
ofilciated at the last institute here Super
intendent Thomas M. Ballet Of Reading,
Pa, Professor Alexander L. Frye, Hyde
Park, Mass, who are new educational
leaders here, and several of our we'll
known Delaware instructors, including
William A.. Reynolds, DIR. j. II. Caldwell,
Delaware College, ex-State Superinten.
dent j. H. Groves, City Superintendent
ID. w. Harlan, the State Superintendent
and bis assistant Il. O. Carpenter.
The state superintendent called the in.
stitute TO order and announced that il
would open with singing, led by DR..
French. Professor Frye was at the
piano. After singing "All Hail the
Power Of jesus Namen prayer was of.
fered by DIR. Boothe, when Superin-
tendent Williams made an address of
welcome.
Mr.. Williams said he did NOT wish to
trench upon the time of the leaders Of the
institute as they were anxious 10 get TO
work az once. He wished, however, to
say q few words.
IA review OF educational work in the
past year." he soid, "shows great pro-
gress. This Is seen in different ways. We
have some fine new school. houses in our
State. In the back districts many school
houses have been repaired. New, and
additional apparatus has been obtained.
The usual flaitering evidence of revival
In the fact which have observed of the
growing interest taken by parents in the
educational advancement of their chill
dren, and in aome cases similar solicit
tude shown by school commissioners"
Superintendent Williams made strong
animadversion upon the pernicious habit
Of local school authorities of changing
their teachers too often. He considered
this custom as generally detrimental to
education. A few dollars and cents
should not influence the important ques-
tion OF the retention of good teacher.
He said he had been questioned by diff
ferent parties throughout the State as to
what constituted q legal school month,
and how many hours were in school
day. The reply is that local custom
rules. There is no legal enactment in
regard to it. The school commissioners
settle that matter in their several districts
A law exists in Delaware that teachers are
allowed the time they attend the institute.
"You teachers, said..the superintendent,
''may refer the commissioners to me who
demnr upon that point"
The only DEATH" continued Mr.. Will
liams 'among the county teachers, to be
reported for the past year, is that Of Mr..
Robinson, of Rockland. A few have been
married, and some more hive been think
ing of getting married." Laughter.
The superintendent closed his address
in saying tive come here for freternal
work. We expect you all TO enroll your
selves and be present at every session.
The city teachers are invited also"
City Superintendent Harlan then fol
lowed in few words. He hoped that
deal of stimulation to educational work
would evolve from the meeting. He an
ticipated the best results from Il.
In introducing the next speaker, Super
intendent Williams said DR.. French is
the Oldest institute teacher in the couh-
try. 81 don't mean, said Mr.. Williams,
"the Oldest teacher in the country, for he
" II not Yet 100 years old. Laughter.
DR.. French got up and denied the accu-
sation of centenarianism. 81 am" he
said, "but five years more than 35 years
that is 40-which makes bad guess
for Superintendent Williams. The doctor
said he had Just arrived from Kent II
think" he added, II have found no
more intelligent and fine appearing class
of teachers than in this little State
of Delaware. / say this in all honesty.
II may be of interest TO you to know
what is going on in other parts of the
United States. tell you, fellow-teaehers,
that institutes have become an educational
power second to none existing. 1t is the
strongest agency know of. have been
In 13 states ON institute work and have
taught in % states. The first institute
was incepted in the Empire State As years
ago. What the pioneers in this work had
to contend against mostly was the indit-
ference Of those attending the institute.
You know there are some teachers who
W. AOi phy1 Wuo Whtoh Aux cAANoy
night and greenbacks. Those are the
oneswho don't 60 to institutes. Two years
hgn we secured a law in the state of
New York that makes 1t compulsory upon
all teachers TO attend. There, the law
oompels it that the schools be closed in
order that teachers may avail themselves
of these advantages. A certificate OF at
tendance at the institutes, to be presented
he kaa 4 Al,oss.
as regarded by law before any pay ment
can be made. In New York state 9S per
cent of the teachers upon the county
roster are enrolled as institute members
DIR. French congratulated the teachers.
present upon the fact that the State au-
thorities have endorsed the project of rs
tablishing a normal school in Delaware.
He said: "lf were desirous of taking
charge of q normal school / know of
none that would be more attractive to me
than that of this State. hope
that the idea of o State normal
school in Delaware will meet with sub
stantial endorsement within 12 months.
We propose in this institute to take up
live subjects, pertinent TO the work in
your schools. Tomorrow morning we
hope to see the house we'll filled with
teachers determined to make genuine
profit out of the opportunities offered
Mr.. Wallace Bruce, who happened to
be present at the afternoon session gave
one or two pleasing recitations of original
poems.
The lecture by Wallace Bruce on
"Ready W.T." under the teachers insti-
tute at the Opera House in the evening, was
worthy of larger audience. Mr.. Bruce
delivered n most entertaining lecture. He
clearly defined wit eud humor and char
acterized puns as ideas side tracked to
allow the train of common sense pass by.
He said that the Scotch wit was cautions
the Irish wit evasive, the German wit
quiet, the French wit gay and the ADieri-
can wit exaggerated but pointed. He
illustrated his lecture with many
examples. The lecture was lis
tened to with apparent satisfaction
by the audience, which consisted prin-
cipally of teachers. Both before ami
after the concert Miss Cynthia Bare OF
Philadelphia sang several selections with
rare taste, expression and feeling she
has beautiful soprano voice, whose high
notes are almost perfect in tone, and 1t II
surprising that she has not won for her
self more widely-known name.
The second session of New Castlt
County Teachers Institute came to ordei
at Q O'Clock Thursday morning upon thu
call of Superintendent Williams Some sOl
smiling happy faces made the auditorium
an unusually attractive sight. The super
intendent was in his usual happy mooo
and the teachers reciprocated hi
pleasantly. 1t seemed more like the pre-
lude to a happy sociable than the preli,m!